Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[ch_scr]

Finally, one of the new VC-TCXOs was pressed into service. It fits just fine (for now) 

A quick check on the counter, adjusted to 10.00... Then onwards to the scope, adjusted until it "stays" in phase.
Then wind out the time base to see jitter over a bit longer time span:

The jitter comparison (CTI OCXO#1 vs new TCXO) trend plot reveals.. what I (naively) hoped to see from the start.
"Just" random noise. And not a lot of it! I might have danced a little happy dance 
For comparison, this is old CTS OCXO vs CTI OCXO#1:

Take note this noise plot is in 500m° per Div vs 100m° per Div for the new one above 
For completeness, this is CTI OCXO#1 vs sick CTI OCXO#2 with funky Phase modulation:

From the plots above one might speculate the CTI has still a bit lower random noise than the TCXO
(and really, that is what I am led to believe is to be expected) but in comparison to the CTS, quite spectecular!

[Cerebus]

Just call me a cab...

OK, Mr. Calloway.

P.S. Have you got Minnie's number?

I wonder how many people will understand that. I do, due to my father's tastes.

One only has to have seen "The Blues Brothers". Cab's rendition of Minnie the Moocher (at age 73 at the time) is arguably the highlight of the film, admittedly vying with Aretha's rendition of R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Carrie Fisher trying to kill her husband with a recoilless rifle and, of course, the immortal:

Elwood Blues: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.
Jake Blues: Hit it!

[mnementh]

OT: Holy Fucking Asscrackers... these guys are 10 minutes away from my house.   *wibble* 



https://www.aalloys.com/

mnem
So many services...   

[Cerebus]

Cerebus: Please keep the pictures of the Variac coming, you might just coax me into designing something better for mine than the cardboard box it was delivered in!

Not a variac, it was just that it (in bare form as was) tends to get used with my variac as a variable low voltage AC power source. So just a toroidal transformer in a box basically. Now finished but it's time for food so no 'finished' photos yet.

My variac came in very shabby case that I too have been meaning to replace for ages. It's quite possible that that's the next bit of kit to get the "make the damn thing tidy" treatment.

[Cubdriver]

Just call me a cab...

OK, Mr. Calloway.

P.S. Have you got Minnie's number?

I wonder how many people will understand that. I do, due to my father's tastes.

One only has to have seen "The Blues Brothers". Cab's rendition of Minnie the Moocher (at age 73 at the time) is arguably the highlight of the film, admittedly vying with Aretha's rendition of R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Carrie Fisher trying to kill her husband with a recoilless rifle and, of course, the immortal:

Elwood Blues: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.
Jake Blues: Hit it!

"Lotsa space in this mall!"

-Pat

[Specmaster]

Geez, I can't believe how this TTi LCR meter went for on eBay, sold as is, no power lead or anything else with it but it still fetched £192 

I had in my crosshairs but at that price it wouldn't be coming home with me that's for damn sure. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thurlby-Thandar-Instruments-LCR400-Precision-LCR-Bridge-/373911926965

[Robert763]

It'll be fine, I'll get outbid. The only meters* I'm still really keen to acquire are a Solartron 7061/71 and a Prema 5.5/6.5 digit with red dot matrix display. A Keithley 2001, HP 3457A, or Fluke 8846 could all tempt me if the price was right.

EDIT: *Bench meters. You could easily lead me over a cliff with any number of handhelds...

I have a  7071 AND a  2001 i'm not using.......

[tggzzz]

Just call me a cab...

OK, Mr. Calloway.

P.S. Have you got Minnie's number?

I wonder how many people will understand that. I do, due to my father's tastes.

One only has to have seen "The Blues Brothers". Cab's rendition of Minnie the Moocher (at age 73 at the time) is arguably the highlight of the film, admittedly vying with Aretha's rendition of R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Carrie Fisher trying to kill her husband with a recoilless rifle and, of course, the immortal:

Elwood Blues: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.
Jake Blues: Hit it!

Never seen that film.

I would have either hear records, or seen either of these on TV

[factory]

Geez, I can't believe how this TTi LCR meter went for on eBay, sold as is, no power lead or anything else with it but it still fetched £192 

I had in my crosshairs but at that price it wouldn't be coming home with me that's for damn sure. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thurlby-Thandar-Instruments-LCR400-Precision-LCR-Bridge-/373911926965

Wasn't me, that does seem quite a lot, but then again Farnell have them new at around £1k with VAT.
Think I'd rather have some test leads with it than a power lead. The power lead would probably just end up straight in the bin if no-name cheap crap. 

David

[tautech]

One only has to have seen "The Blues Brothers". Cab's rendition of Minnie the Moocher (at age 73 at the time) is arguably the highlight of the film, admittedly vying with Aretha's rendition of R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Carrie Fisher trying to kill her husband with a recoilless rifle and, of course, the immortal:

Elwood Blues: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.
Jake Blues: Hit it!

Never seen that film.

 

[Vince]

Just gave these cheap plastic cases a chance. I tried to store all my "excess" coax adapters in it.

Seems to work quite well... think I will leave it like that.

That frees one Chinese-slave wooden drawer which I can now repurpose.

Right half of the case : 50R stuff (banana adapters, sockets, Tees, 75R terminations, right angle M/F, MISC.
Top left : in a bag, all the "MiniQuick" items, as I will probably never use any of that stuff.
Bottom left : 75R stuff : banana adapters, 75R terminations, right-angle PCB mount sockets, straight PCB mount sockets, panel mount sockets.

I guess I might add a few labels here and there to help me remember what's what... because of course in 3 days I will have forgotten about it, never mind in 12 months when I open that case again...

4 more cases to fill...I need ideas....

[Specmaster]

Geez, I can't believe how this TTi LCR meter went for on eBay, sold as is, no power lead or anything else with it but it still fetched £192 

I had in my crosshairs but at that price it wouldn't be coming home with me that's for damn sure. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thurlby-Thandar-Instruments-LCR400-Precision-LCR-Bridge-/373911926965

Wasn't me, that does seem quite a lot, but then again Farnell have them new at around £1k with VAT.
Think I'd rather have some test leads with it than a power lead. The power lead would probably just end up straight in the bin if no-name cheap crap. 

David

Thats the thing, it doesn't need any leads as the cap leads are held in the 2 black clamp terminals on the right.

Strange, I thought that that device was no longer in production but as you rightly said, Farnell have new stock expected in April 22, but £1058 each, I guess I'll stick with my XJW01 which does more than the TTi does anyway. I guess the TTi is more of a pass/fail instrument used in industry seeing as it is programmable, so you enter parameters required for the benchmarks, and you get a pass or fail indication that would be required in the testing / QA labs.

[mansaxel]

OT: Holy Fucking Asscrackers... these guys are 10 minutes away from my house.   *wibble*

Yes, that's to be expected with P&W one town over. That usually means there's good work to be found in one of the supporting industries. If one's content with the military-industrial complex as employer, that is.

[AVGresponding]

Geez, I can't believe how this TTi LCR meter went for on eBay, sold as is, no power lead or anything else with it but it still fetched £192 

I had in my crosshairs but at that price it wouldn't be coming home with me that's for damn sure. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thurlby-Thandar-Instruments-LCR400-Precision-LCR-Bridge-/373911926965

Yeah I was watching that one too, and wasn't surprised at all; it's the third to go for similar money recently. There's a Wayne Kerr for you to pitch a lowball at: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284602778594

It'll be fine, I'll get outbid. The only meters* I'm still really keen to acquire are a Solartron 7061/71 and a Prema 5.5/6.5 digit with red dot matrix display. A Keithley 2001, HP 3457A, or Fluke 8846 could all tempt me if the price was right.

EDIT: *Bench meters. You could easily lead me over a cliff with any number of handhelds...

I have a  7071 AND a  2001 i'm not using.......

And unless they are phkt I can't afford either of them, and if they are, I already have an unfeasibly long repair queue      

I really need to get some surplus stuff ready for posting and get it sold.

[factory]

Geez, I can't believe how this TTi LCR meter went for on eBay, sold as is, no power lead or anything else with it but it still fetched £192 

I had in my crosshairs but at that price it wouldn't be coming home with me that's for damn sure. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thurlby-Thandar-Instruments-LCR400-Precision-LCR-Bridge-/373911926965

Wasn't me, that does seem quite a lot, but then again Farnell have them new at around £1k with VAT.
Think I'd rather have some test leads with it than a power lead. The power lead would probably just end up straight in the bin if no-name cheap crap. 

David

Thats the thing, it doesn't need any leads as the cap leads are held in the 2 black clamp terminals on the right.

Strange, I thought that that device was no longer in production but as you rightly said, Farnell have new stock expected in April 22, but £1058 each, I guess I'll stick with my XJW01 which does more than the TTi does anyway. I guess the TTi is more of a pass/fail instrument used in industry seeing as it is programmable, so you enter parameters required for the benchmarks, and you get a pass or fail indication that would be required in the testing / QA labs.

The older (discontinued) LCR databridge had optional leads, but we had to make do with bodged croc leads at work, for easier testing of axial caps and parts with short leads. The Kelvin lead is an optional extra for the LCR400 too. https://www.aimtti.com/product-category/lcr-measurement/aim-lcr400 only £116 plus VAT. 

David

[mansaxel]

Cerebus: Please keep the pictures of the Variac coming, you might just coax me into designing something better for mine than the cardboard box it was delivered in!

Not a variac, it was just that it (in bare form as was) tends to get used with my variac as a variable low voltage AC power source. So just a toroidal transformer in a box basically. Now finished but it's time for food so no 'finished' photos yet.

My variac came in very shabby case that I too have been meaning to replace for ages. It's quite possible that that's the next bit of kit to get the "make the damn thing tidy" treatment.

I'm also down that lane. My Philips variac has been mounted in a surplus Schroff 6HE Baugruppenträger / subrack. Plan is to combine it with a 1:1 isolation transformer and a HV rectifier, so I can get 200+ V DC unregulated off of it. And AC, of course.  I'm currently halted at the "getting a 6HE 84 TE front plate" part.

Edit: I also need to make real my project to build something like 3x12HE 19" racks at the bench too.

[Andrew_Debbie]

That poor power supply! Having undoubtedly survived much, proving that it still works faithfully in the hope to secure a good new home - only to get mounted by a blaring, gaudy abomination!

Does this make you feel better?   Kidding aside, I don't have the room or the TE budget that most of you have.

[Vince]

CONTACT CLEANER


Sorry for yelling, just in case your hearing device batteries were flat 

I have run out of Deoxit D5, can I bough 4 years ago is empty, with 60% of the stuff being wasted as the nozzle was leaking massively and most of the stuff was dripping on the floor and my pants, rather than going out the nozzle. Not impressed.

Anyway. Cheap in the US where it's made, but very expensive in France.
The official importer retails it at 45 Euros, 55/60 buck or so, would you believe it ?

https://www.cotelec.fr/boutique/produits-d-entretien-caig/595-deoxit-d-series.html

Googling a bit, I found it for 40% cheaper, on this guitar / audio web site called "Reverb" ;

https://reverb.com/p/caig-deoxit-d-series-contact-cleaner-5oz

At 27 Euros. Much better, but then add 5.5 Euro for shipping 32.5 Euros for a can.. still quite a bit eh ?! 

" Reverb ", that name rings a bell, I think that's where I must have bought my can back then.

Anyway, trying to save money, and seeing as I will be placing an order fairly soon on Farnell or TME for some caps to recap my Tek 2467B scope, I thought I might try a different, cheaper cleaner.

So do you have any experience / recommendation for some cleaner from a well know brand, that I could get from Farnell ?

I don't know, what brands are there... Servisol, KF, CIrcuitWorks etc etc...


I am not a Chemist so I don't know what's equivalent to the Deoxit D5.

I do understand that not all cleaners are the same, though. At the very least I gather that :

- Some have solvents, some don't.
- Some actively dissolve oxidization.
- Some provide lubrication once evaporated, some don't and let things dry afterward.
- Some, like WD40, over time, damage/ degrade phenolic parts like found in all the vintage wafer switches, or cheap/most pots.
- Some make larger flames than others when used under power.
- Some taste better than others when sprayed on lettuce as a condiment.

I am going to bed and will be reading all your lovely helpful replies with the greatest of interest tomorrow ! 

[mnementh]

OT: Holy Fucking Asscrackers... these guys are 10 minutes away from my house.   *wibble*

Yes, that's to be expected with P&W one town over. That usually means there's good work to be found in one of the supporting industries. If one's content with the military-industrial complex as employer, that is.

Been dere, dunnat. Oh, and whaddaya know... they were recently absorbed by Raytheon, the same people who bought my little NirvanaCorp just to dismantle it and destroy the market they'd created for themselves.

Shit. No matter where I go, I can't get away from the same old bastards... 

mnem
*toddles off to find something positive... somewhere...*

[Vince]

That poor power supply! Having undoubtedly survived much, proving that it still works faithfully in the hope to secure a good new home - only to get mounted by a blaring, gaudy abomination!

Does this make you feel better?   Kidding aside, I don't have the room or the TE budget that most of you have.

Let me help you then ! keep your most capable meter (the Racal-Dana I presume ? ) and sell the two Chinese ones : you gain both space AND money.

I know, I know... the Chinese ones have their merits as well so you want to keep them... they do have a very large LCD and with huge easy to read digits. That's quite valuable for a bench meter, I admit.
Aneng can talk too I guess, so will be helpful once you can't see squat due to age, though I guess that's probably not the main reason that led you to buy it....

If you like I can send you a nice Metrix MX53/C handheld DMM, have too many of them...

[TERRA Operative]

Bluetooth speaker and thermometer is a new one, never seen that in a multimeter before....

[vk6zgo]

mF for micro Farad is just wrong. µF is correct.

Just so, but uF is also acceptable at a pinch.

Using mF is as pig ignorant as mS for milliseconds, or using kW where kWh is relevant (or vice versa).

Back in the day, milliFarads were pretty much the thing of fantasy for most people, & those few that did exist were called out as multiples of 1000uF, ie, 1000uF, 2200 uF, etc. (& yes, I've forgotten how to do "micro" symbols on this device).

As "mF" was virtually unused, many  thought "Everybody will know what I'm talking about", & went with "mF" for "microFarad", or even, (horror of horrors), "MFD"!  
Remember SI didn't exist for much of this time.

SI has existed for longer than many people think, 62 years to be precise, and in proto form for 74 years.

"The 9th CGPM [in 1948] also approved the first formal recommendation for the writing of symbols in the metric system when the basis of the rules as they are now known was laid down."

"In 1960, the 11th CGPM synthesised the results of the 12-year study into a set of 16 resolutions. The system was named the International System of Units, abbreviated SI from the French name, Le Système International d'Unités."

To some of the stuff I used & worked on in my young days, 1948 was "yesterday".
Electronics had a huge expansion in the previous 40 years.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Just gave these cheap plastic cases a chance. I tried to store all my "excess" coax adapters in it.

Don't label it now! Soon you will need to restructure it anyway..

[vk6zgo]

HP6235A arrived.  Throwing caution to the wind, I plugged it in for a quick check. 
...

...

That poor power supply! Having undoubtedly survived much, proving that it still works faithfully in the hope to secure a good new home - only to get mounted by a blaring, gaudy abomination!

I was trying to find a way to refer to that thing, but couldn't find the words.
You, however, nailed it!

[Cerebus]

To some of the stuff I used & worked on in my young days, 1948 was "yesterday".
Electronics had a huge expansion in the previous 40 years.

Yeah well, like the SI you have existed for longer than many people think.  You probably remember when you first got them fancy new Leyden jars.